


Hot Fossil Idiots Don't Know How To Propose

by AtHomeWithWords



Series: Hot Fossil Idiots [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Engagement, Fluff, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 15:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2586149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtHomeWithWords/pseuds/AtHomeWithWords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky and Steve only seem to come alive around each other. Their relationship is an odd one, summaried in a few points, until their ridiculous propsal happens and the team don't know how they've ever managed to survive for ninety-whatever years being so damn stupid</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot Fossil Idiots Don't Know How To Propose

Bucky's recovery had been a marvel. It was outstanding, really, how much he remembered. It had taken months to find him, even though he left decimated Hydra bases like breadcrumbs in his wake. Six months, two weeks, and four days, to be precise. Once they'd gotten him to Stark Tower, they put him in isolation to run tests and make sure he was Bucky, not the Winter Soldier. After two months, they finally let Steve into the room and it was like turning on a switch.

The dead look in the ex-assassin's eyes lit up and he even smiled. “Hey, punk,” he said, the first words he'd ever said without prompting. “Jerk,” was Steve's reply, cut off by sobbing. James, as he liked to be called (though Steve ignored that and called him Bucky) had gotten up and held him.

Eventually, he was brought out of isolation and moved in with Steve. He had therapy every day, learnt how to live as a human rather than a weapon, and began remembering a lot more.

Over the next six months, therapy sessions lessened and James became more alive.

The first time he'd laughed had brought tears to Steve's eyes.

It was a surprise to everyone but Steve that Bruce was the first friend Bucky made in the group. Not only was Bucky a huge science fan, but the pair shared a struggle between two forces inside them.

Tony, though both would deny it unless the lives of loved ones were in danger, was the second friend Bucky let in, the pair bonding during the gruelling hours of mechanical arm maintenance.

After a particularly terrible nightmare where Bucky accidentally hit Steve, Natasha finally stopped waiting for the Winter Soldier to attack when she had to coax Bucky out of the locked bathroom. When the door had opened, he stood in a nest of blankets, eyes rimmed red and telling her he didn't mean to, that he was scared, and she realised the Soldier was gone for real. Then they were inseparable, secret keeping in Russian to one another.

Sam was the fourth person Bucky let into his life after Steve and the others had to go on a mission. He'd simply stayed in the spare room and gone about his business, not bothering Barnes until the third evening when Burrito Bucky waddled in with sleepy, red eyes, dropped onto the sofa and threw himself down so his head was in Sam's lap. “I want my Stevie,” he'd mumbled, eyes closed as Sam warily pet his head as instructed by Steve. “I know, buddy. I know.”

Healthy competition brought Clint into Bucky's life. The pair met in Tony's range (yes, there's was a range in the Tower. Obviously) and had spent so long down there trying to out-do one another that Steve had rushed in to find where his Bucky had gone.

For nine months, Bucky had let them in one by one, but both he and Steve had been oblivious to the fact that they were in love with each other.

It dawned on Steve first, and Sam had to calm him down for half an hour before saying, “Dude, it's okay. Firstly, that's allowed now. You ain't going to jail for it. Secondly, Bucky isn't unstable anymore. Not like he first was. He can make his own decisions now, which is huge, and you loving him doesn't make you a horrible person. It's quite the opposite, actually. And third, he loves you too. Trust me.”

When Bucky figured it out, he spent the day under Natasha's blankets, refusing to come out until she told him almost exactly the same thing. “James, it isn't illegal anymore, so you're not going to get Steve hurt by loving him. It's also _very okay_ to love him. You deserve him, no matter what you believe, and I bet every pair of shoes I own that he loves you back.”

They'd thrown a party once they saw the pair holding hands. Well, Tony and Clint had. The rest just came for the “congrats on the sex” cake. It was crude and Tony's face being smashed into it by Bucky, but it was _amazing_ cake.

Still, there were certain things about them that were odd.

They were _always_ touching, but that was (mostly) because Bucky was touch-starved.

They'd done it in _every_ room in the living quarters of the Tower except other peoples' bedrooms Jarvis had confirmed it.

They were always bickering but did it with smiles.

They had silent conversations, finished each other's sentences, understood words lost to laughter, and always – _always_ – knew what each other were thinking.

Their relationship was so easy, they were always best friends before lovers. Boyfriends. Best guys. Whatever they called each other.

And the future was more surprising to them than their behaviour a lot of the time.

“Wait,” Bucky interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Sam,” You're saying men can _marry_ other men?”

Sam tilted his head and nodded whilst Natasha frowned. “Yeah, I thought I told you that already?”

“No, you said it wasn't illegal to love another man. You never said anything about...” He trailed off and looked around the room, eyes finally catching sight of the muscled dorito that was his boyfriend. “Steve!” Nothing. “STEVE!” Nothing still. “Super serum, my ass,” Bucky muttered before trying again. “STEVIE!”

Steve finally span around, sipping his beer and raising his eyebrows. “STEVE! Did you know men can _marry_ other men?” Steve choked on his beer before shouting back, “No way?”

“YEAH! Steve, we're getting married,” Bucky told him, earning a shrug back. “Yeah, alright.”

The room stopped. “HOLD ON!” Tony all but screeched. “That was _not_ a proposal! You can't just- How could you- IS THAT EVEN- WHAT?” Pepper pat his shoulder sympathetically as Natasha twisted Bucky's ear until he yelped.

“Ow,” he pouted, looking like a kicked puppy.

“James, that is not how you propose you a man,” Sam scolded before turning to Steve. “I'm also disappointed in you. I expected you to want a little razzle dazzle when it came to this sort of thing.”

“Sam,” Steve drawled as Jarvis cut off the music. “We grew up in the depression. People were lucky if they got rings and a small ceremony. Forgive me for never wanting something with _razzle dazzle_ when we could barely afford to eat two meals a day.”

Bucky called back, “Stevie, do you want a real proposal?”

“No, you fucked up the first one, I'll do it,” Steve smirked, picking a Haribo ring out of Clint's packet and walking over. Tony whipped out his phone and set it to record as Pepper produced a tissue out of nowhere in that strange way that women do.

“James Buchanan Barnes-”

“Oh Christ.”

“Shut up, I'm being romantic.” Steve cleared his throat as Bucky laughed. “James Buchanan Barnes, I've been in love with you since we were thirteen and you tried showing me how to armpit fart-”

“They did that back then?”

“ _Clint_!”

“Sorry.”

“-in that crappy apartment of mine and my mom's. You made me laugh so hard that I had an asthma attack-”

“Dork.”

“ _Tony_!”

“Sorry.”

“- and I realised then that I could never marry a woman because we'd never have that. So, Buck, will you marry me?”

After a pause, Bucky shrugged a shoulder. “Alright,” he drawled, thick with a Brooklyn accent and held back laughter. Steve's lips quirked with a smirk as he awkwardly got the stretchy red and white ring over Bucky's big finger.

“Can I eat it?” Bucky asked hopefully, earning a chorus of “no”s from everyone in the room whilst Steve laughed.

“When I get you a real one, Buck. Promise.”


End file.
